


a Flavour of Intimacy

by KPOPTrashLord-007 (TrashLord_007)



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Baekhyun is NOT the cause of your angst, Byun Baekhyun Being an Idiot, Byun Baekhyun Fluff, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Sexual Humor, Short & Sweet, Unavoidable, but in a cute way!, one can assume, soft hours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashLord_007/pseuds/KPOPTrashLord-007
Summary: Time heals all wounds. This you know from experience. With every passing day, you stand a little taller and smile a little wider. It helps that a certain someone is there to cheer you on along the way.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Reader
Kudos: 2





	a Flavour of Intimacy

**Author's Note:**

> Angst to fluff BUT the angst is NOT about Baek.   
> He's my emotional support kpop boy, he would never hurt you reader.

Despite your world having been turned upside down, your routine remained the same: shower, cleanse, brush, floss. 

Nothing changed. 

You rinsed, swishing the cool water from cheek to cheek while staring at your reflection in the mirror and wondering just when the tears had been replaced with the soft glow of your gleaming, healthy skin. No longer did your skin lap up moisturiser like the desert's sand did a drop of moisture - care alongside time had soothed the roughness that once cursed your edges. 

Despite how you thought your world had near come to an end, you had moved on. 

But nothing significant changed.

The fluctuation in weight had settled and your confidence returned with it. Slipping into your pyjama shorts and the matching top, you frowned. Shouldn't it feel different? Shouldn't it still hurt? A relationship should be impactful, should be meaningful and yet indifference pooled where depression once spawned in towering waves. 

Water trickled down your back and it was more of an inconvenience than his departure had been. Pushing your hair out of the way, you ran a washcloth along your neck to collect the stray droplets. Why had you even cried? It seemed pointless now to have wasted even a second longer on him. 

Despite your ex walking out the door and leaving you broken, you had mended the wounds and stood a bit taller with every passing day. 

Maybe something inside you had changed, perhaps just a little. 

A smile crawled across your bright features. It came as naturally as breathing. Your eyes tended to sparkle these days and your voice no longer quivered. Where you had once let yourself go, let your body and mind suffer under his influence, you now saw beauty and resilience. 

Applying a night cream under your eyes that was a bit too heavy and thick and perhaps too lavish, you stuck your tongue out and gave yourself a wink. It was goofy, but who really cared? It was fun and it drew forth a smile regardless of how bad your day may have been. 

Simple actions like these reminded you that even something as mundane as getting ready for bed was a precious moment in your life that should be cherished.

You had only realised this just a few months prior while crying in the cold comfort of your dark room. 

All the joy in your life had been sucked out of you by that parasite you called an ex. From the snide remarks about your appearance to the irritation and borderline anger whenever you expressed even the slightest interest in something that didn't fall within the realm of his approved hobbies - the man was a control freak who enjoyed making you feel weak and pathetic. 

While in retrospect that should have made you furious, it wasn't what made you hate him. Not even how he took everything from you, every ounce of your happiness and the few remaining specks of your immature youth, only to declare you a husk of your previous self before leaving you without a second glance made you hate him. 

No, you despised him because even after years of subservience and the complete acceptance of his tyranny, his departure left no lasting mark on you. 

How can someone be your everything and yet their absence change nothing at all?

How can someone be so insignificant?

Years had been wasted, years that should have been filled with joy. He had stolen a million laughs, a billion smiles. It would take time to replace all that had been lost and, while you couldn't replace the time itself, you could fill every moment of your precious future with the happiness you had always deserved. 

And so you laughed. 

You looked upon your shining self and you smiled. 

There were better days ahead and going forward you would chase every opportunity to live a life that brought you happiness. 

Flipping the light off, you exited your bathroom with mirth on the tip of your tongue and electric excitement in your bones. Your eyes descended upon your bed, or rather the man sprawled on top of it. A playful groan slipped past your lips as you placed a hand on your hip and shook your head at him. 

Your pursuit of joy had led you right to him. 

"What are you doing on my bed?" 

Baekhyun's head snapped up from his phone and he drank in your body before grinning. "I'm single, you're single…" 

"Your point?"

He got more comfortable, sliding up further on the bed until he rested on the pillows. Turning onto his side to face you, he patted the pillow next to him. A loose strand of his golden brown hair fell in front of his eyes and he tried to blow it out of the way, failing thrice before running a hasty hand through it and offering you an over-the-top wink. 

"I warmed the bed for us."

"Get out, idiot." 

"What?! I was kidding! I just wanted to make you smile!" The words tumbled off his lips in a jumble, as if affected by the way his body jerked forward. His hands waved in front of his face, drawing your attention to his cheeky grin and you braced yourself for whatever flirtatious remark he'd conjure next. "I live to see that beautiful smile of yours lighting up the room, after all. The light of my life, the sun I rotate around."

"Baekhyun," you sighed, rubbing your temples in mock exasperation while also calming your racing heart. 

"I even bought ice cream." He pouted, pointing toward a small container on your nightstand. Condensation marked the sides with clear evidence of the start of a great thaw and your mouth stretched into a line. Your nerves settled like an anchor and a legitimate groan passed your lips upon the realisation that he hadn't remembered to place a coaster. "It's our favourite flavour. You know, the one we settle on when we can't decide whose turn it is to pick their actual favourite."

"What am I going to do with you?" 

His eyes followed you, observing your features. Baekhyun was attentive to changes in your mood. He'd search for any signs of discomfort and tended to notice when something was on your mind before you did. He liked to tease but he never intended to push you too far, never wanted you to feel uneasy. It was this genuine sincerity that passed through his words during every interaction. 

He was an oasis of playful honesty and unadulterated joy. 

Swiping up the excess water with a wash towel you had grabbed from the bathroom, you cleaned the small mess the ice cream tub had left before popping the lid open and digging in. Nudging him with your elbow, you sidled into bed next to him. The room was too chilly and the frozen treat too cold not to hop under the covers that were trapped under his body. You pushed him out of your way, earning an exaggerated cry, and covered your lower half in the fluffy blanket and hummed in content as the cold was chased away. 

"Netflix?" You asked, grabbing the remote from inside the nightstand and turning the television on. 

"And chill?" 

"Get out."

"It was a joke!" He threw his hands up in defense at your forced glare. Unable to stop yourself from smiling, you smacked his shoulder. You ignored his whine and focused on scrolling through your shared account for the show you had started a few weeks ago but had abandoned upon finding a drama more suitable for binging. After a few seconds of silence, you risked a glance at him. 

His hair was a mess and he looked casual, comfortable. There was a twinkle in his eye so bright that the dark corners of your room seemed to disappear. You could feel warmth radiating off him in waves and you gravitated toward him. He quirked his eyebrow a few times in quick succession. "I mean, unless?"

"You're ridiculous."

Despite your world having been turning upside down, you soon discovered your right-side up within these tender moments of affection. 

You hadn't changed, not really. 

You had simply been reminded of something you had long forgotten:

the euphoria of intimacy.

**Author's Note:**

> Not necessarily romantic love but take it as you will. It could definitely evolve into it but hey, sometimes platonic love is more powerful than romantic love.


End file.
